Black Tie Mousse Cake Recipe

Four layers of chocolate heaven - chocolate cake, chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache.

Prep Time40

Cook Time40

Chill time3 30

Total Time4 50

Servings: 16 slices

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan-assisted) and prepare an 8-inch cake pan.
Sift the dry ingredients for the cake together into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and mix with all the wet ingredients (except the hot water). Whisk until smooth and combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk just until everything is incorporated.
Add the hot water into the batter and stir until combined.
Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Let cool completely, remove from the cake pan, then slice off the rounded top so you are left with one thin cake base layer.
Clean and dry the cake pan, then place the cake base layer on the bottom and set aside while you prepare the other layers.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments until totally melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until completely smooth and free from lumps.
Pour melted chocolate into the cream cheese mix and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, whip up the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
Take a small amount of the whipped cream and mix it into the chocolate cream cheese mixture to loosen it up a little. Then fold in the remaining cream.
Pour the chocolate cheesecake into the cake pan, on top of the cake layer, then put it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes, while you prepare the white chocolate mousse layer.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between until completely melted. Set aside to cool.
Whip the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to medium-stiff peaks.
Once the melted white chocolate has cooled to lukewarm, pour it into the whipped cream and fold gently until completely combined.
Pour into the cake pan on top of the chocolate cheesecake layer and put in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours.

Once the mousse cake has set, break up your milk and dark chocolate and put them into a bowl.*
Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat on medium-low until it starts to steam and tiny bubbles begin appearing on the surface.
Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute and then gently start to stir. Keep going until the chocolate is totally melted and it turns into a smooth, glossy mixture.
Let the ganache cool slightly, the perfect pouring temperature is about 89°F / 32°C. If you don't have a thermometer, just look for the ganache to thicken slightly so it leaves a slight trace in itself when you drizzle it back into the bowl.

Once the mousse cake is set and the ganache is at the right temperature, carefully remove the cake from the cake pan.
Reserve about a quarter of the ganache and set it aside to cool further for piping later.
Place the cake on a wire rack and pour the chocolate ganache all over the cake.
If you want to add the design on top, melt a small amount of white chocolate and pipe a design on top of the ganache immediately after pouring.
While the ganache is still wet, use your hands to press mini chocolate chips or chocolate flakes into the sides of the cake.
Once the leftover ganache has cooled to piping consistency, put it in a piping bag and pipe around the outside of the mousse cake.

Ingredients Notes:
Chocolate - for the cheesecake, mousse, and ganache, make sure you use real chocolate, not chocolate chips or candy bars.

Heavy Cream - It must be heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or double cream - at least 36% fat, otherwise the layers may not set properly.